The 'Open Hand Project' Makes Affordable Prosthetic Hands

The 'Open Hand Project' is attempting to create faster, cheaper and more efficient ways to provide accessible prosthetic hands to those needing them.

Engineer Joel Gibbard developed a prototype called 'Dextrus' for under 1,500 dollars, which costs far less than other prosthetics that range up to tens of thousands of dollars. Gibbard reinvented the traditional way prosthetics are made through a series of alterations.

The first step in creating accessible prosthetic hands would be 3D printing the hand in durable plastic in under 40 hours. Those who receive the prosthetic control the new hand with EMG sensors, which read the electrical potential of a user's muscles. Stainless steel is used to create tendons, which enable plastic bones to pinch and grip. All of the technological capabilities are powered by lithium batteries.

The project recently won the Britain's Dyson Award which will now help kick-start the enterprise.